I took an hour or so this afternoon to work on my meal plan for the coming week (Saturday – Friday), making use of what I have on hand as much as possible. My pantry and freezer are pretty full!

For breakfasts next week, I’ll be making the Pioneer Woman’s Breakfast Burritos; 100 Days of Real Food’s Breakfast Casserole Bites; and a batch of Amazing Muffin Cups. These are easy to make ahead and then just pop in the microwave or toaster oven to reheat in the morning. Alternating between those will be Peanut Butter & Banana, Peaches & Cream Oatmeal, and PB&J smoothies.

Lunches generally consist of leftovers and I’ll make a batch of some kind of soup (this week it’s Chicken Tortilla along with some Cheese & Chile Corn Muffins) that I can heat up as needed.

We’ll see how much prep work I get done tomorrow. Hopefully, I can make the pie crust for the quiche and the pizza crusts for Friday since those freeze well. I’ll get the breakfast items made and my lunch soup of the week. I’ll post pictures and recipes as I make them.

Good morning!
This is going in the Crock-Pot Slow Cooker this morning…my daughter’s favorite and her choice for today. Will serve with a side of green beans and some biscuits with herbed butter. It’s going to smell good in here when I walk I from work this afternoon. 🙂
Herbed Chicken & Vegetables
Ingredients
1 1⁄2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1⁄2 teaspoon dried oregano
1⁄4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper
1⁄2 teaspoon paprika
1⁄4 cup olive oil or other oil for frying
1 cup white cooking wine or chicken broth
1 can chicken broth
8 medium carrots cut into chunks
1 medium onion cut into chunks
5 medium potatoes cut into chunks (or small red potatoes)
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 tablespoon cold water
Directions
Mix together the flour and all the spices; coat chicken breasts in flour mixture. Heat oil in a nonstick Dutch oven (or skillet if you’re going to use the slow cooker) over medium high heat. Cook chicken in oil about 15 minutes, or until lightly brown on all sides; remove chicken and drain on paper towel.
Stir wine, chicken broth, and vegetables into Dutch oven; add chicken. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 35-40 minutes or until juice of chicken runs clear (is no longer pink). (However, the longer it cooks, the better and more tender it is.) Remove chicken and vegetables and keep warm.**
Mix cornstarch with cold water; whisk into liquid in Dutch oven. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir one minute. Serve over chicken and vegetables.
**Optional: Place chicken in slow cooker; cover with vegetables and pour wine and chicken broth over the top. Cook on low 6-8 hours. This is my preference. I then just add the cornstarch/water mix about 15 minutes before time to serve and it will usually thicken up just fine. 🙂

Remove and discard all visible fat from roast and place in slow cooker. Combine all other ingredients and pour over roast. Add water to almost cover roast. Cover and cook on low heat for 8-10 hours or until meat is very tender. (I usually sprinkle the roast with some meat tenderizer.)

So today is my prep dat for things I can do make or do ahead of time. I’ll make a quiche and some black beans and rice to have for lunches on days I don’t want to have leftovers. And I’ll run to the store if there are ingredients that I’m missing.

I’ve planned out all three meals because I’m really good at skipping breakfast which is bad. And I often struggle over what to have for lunch.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 10 inch quiche dish.
In a large bowl, beat together milk, eggs, baking mix, butter and parmesan cheese. Batter will be lumpy. Stir in broccoli, ham and Cheddar cheese. Pour into prepared quiche dish.
Bake in preheated oven for 50 minutes, until eggs are set and top is golden brown.

2 c. sliced mushrooms (10-12 mushrooms) *I used a small can of organic sliced mushrooms because that’s what I had. I just drained them well before using.

2 Tbsp. butter

salt and pepper

paprika * I totally forgot this!

8 slices bacon cooked

1 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese

2 tsp. finely chopped fresh parsley

(I used Colby Jack cheese.)

Directions

Use an electric mixer to combine the mustard, honey, mayonnaise, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Whip the mixture for about 30 seconds. Place chicken in a Ziploc bag and pour in about 1/3 of the marinade. Seal the bag and press out as much air as you can and marinate in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.

Chill the remaining marinade until later. After the chicken has marinated, remove chicken from bag and discard the marinade that it has been soaking in. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and heat an ovenproof frying pan large enough to hold all four breasts and 1 Tbsp. oil over medium heat. (If you don’t have an ovenproof frying pan, transfer the chicken to a baking dish).

Sear the chicken in the pan for 3-4 minutes per side or until golden brown. Remove pan from heat but keep chicken in the pan.
As the chicken is cooking, in a small frying pan saute the mushrooms in the butter. Brush each seared chicken breast with a little of the honey mustard marinade being sure to save a little extra that you can serve on the side later with the dish.

Season the chicken with salt, pepper and paprika ( I am usually pretty generous with the paprika, I love the flavor). **Again…left this out, though I wouldn’t have been generous. 🙂
Stack two pieces of cooked bacon, crosswise on each chicken breast. Spoon the sauteed mushrooms onto the bacon, being sure to coat each breast evenly. Sprinkle 1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese evenly onto each breast followed by 1/4 cup of cheddar.
Bake the pan of prepared chicken breasts for 7-10 minutes or until cheese is thoroughly melted and starting to bubble. Sprinkle each breast with 1/2 teaspoon parsley before serving. Put extra honey mustard marinade into a small bowl to serve on the side.